ITF against the sentences that condemn the Moroccan union members Elhairech and Chamchati to the detainment



The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) has denounced as "absolutely incredible" and "completely unexpected" the sentences of comminate sentence to the detainment today by a court in Morocco to the trade-union leaders Said Elhairech and Mohamed Chamchati.

Elhairech is the general secretary of the Union of the Moroccan Ports, that the labor organization Union Marocaine du Travail (UMT is under responsibility of), affiliated to the ITF, let alone president of the regional committee of the ITF for Mondo Arabo. The ITF has remembered that Elhairech is arrested last June with the sabotage accusation and to have place to risk national safety and that the union member has flatly rejected the correlated accusations to its lend work upon request of the ITF in order to assist the marine ones of the hit Comarit and the Comanav from the cessation of activity of the two companies. The ITF has emphasized that "last October all the counts of indictment, except one of light entity, have been archived item and are tried its innocence. Although this - it has denounced international the labor organization - Elhairech is condemned by the Criminal court first degree of Rabat, than criminalizzazione of the trade-union fights has accused it to have contributed according to hinder the freedom of action of article 288 of the Moroccan penal code ()". Specifying that the pronunciamento of the judge Elhairech sentence to a confinement year, the ITF has announced that the union member will introduce appeal against the sentence.

The ITF has remembered that also Mohamed Chamchati, general secretary of the union of the seafarers of the merchant navy, unjustly is arrested last June with the same counts of indictment and that the slid one is released without accusations, while now the court has condemned it to two years and means confinement years.

"These sentences - it has emphasized the president of the ITF, Paddy Crumlin - defy logic. Last year Said and Mohamed have faced serious and groundless accusations of sabotage and national security risk. As a result of protests all over the world promoted by the ITF, such ridicules imputations have been with justice retreats. Now, with an amazing upset of the truth and logic, once again they are indicted because of their I legitimize operated trade-union in defense of the rights of the workers. These men - he has concluded Crumlin - are not guilty of whom of being active union members. We will fight in any case against these unjust and absurd decisions".